


she's a lady (ladies shouldn't be messed with)

by ThePlagueBeast



Series: I didn't know I was lonely 'til I saw your face [2]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, F/F, Finn Collins Being an Asshole, I have no idea what I'm doing, They're super in love, but it's not the point, chapter three is sex, idk if i should tag smut, like sex happens yeah
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:47:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22047385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePlagueBeast/pseuds/ThePlagueBeast
Summary: After a summer that turns out nothing like they'd anticipated, Clarke moves in with Lexa properly at college. She's lost her mother but her dad's still here, and despite (or because of?) everything, so is Lexa.orLook I knew a college sequel was going to happen but I have no idea what's going to be in it. We're on this ride together, I'm just in the front seat.
Relationships: Bellamy Blake & Clarke Griffin, Clarke Griffin & Harper McIntyre, Clarke Griffin & Jake Griffin, Clarke Griffin/Lexa
Series: I didn't know I was lonely 'til I saw your face [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1585297
Comments: 72
Kudos: 374





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank everyone so much for the amazing comments at the end of _if you wanna piss off your parents_ , it makes me so happy to see you've all enjoyed that journey as much as I did. I really had no idea what was going to happen as I was writing it, and that is true here as well! In fact, I know even less, because now I'm not even pretending it's based on a song (though the title is a song lyric again, as is the series title).

Clarke looked around the tiny dorm room, dropping her duffle on the unoccupied bed. She had little intention of staying here more than absolutely required. As a freshman she’d been assigned a dorm and she _would_ use it, but only when necessary. So her bag had a few changes of clothes and some toiletries. Aside from that, she didn’t think her roommate, whoever it was, would mind living with a ghost.

She glanced to the other side of the room, it was already set up for occupancy. Just when she wondered if her roommate was going to be gone for the rest of the day, the door opened.

“Harper?” Surprised, pleasantly so, to find a familiar face.

“Clarke? Awesome!” Harper dumped her backpack and pulled the other blonde into a hug that was warmly returned.

“Kinda awesome, you’re not gonna see me a whole lot,” she admitted, pulling back and resting her hands on her shoulders.

“Why not? There’s no way you packed your schedule.”

“I’m only technically living here,” she grins, thinking of the apartment with Lexa she’d already filled with everything she cared about from her mother’s house. “Maybe catch a nap between classes or crash if it’s late.” At the confused look she got she elaborated, “I’m staying with my girlfriend, she has an off-campus apartment. It’s not a long walk but I’m lazy so.” 

Harper nods and chuckles, “Well I’m glad it’s you anyways, how have you been? You kinda ghosted after prom, only showing up to haunt parties.” There’s a twinkle to her eyes and Clarke appreciates her not dancing around the subject.

She flops onto her bare mattress and considers getting a cheap set of sheets because while she is lazy she’s not _gross_. “God where do I even start?” She rubs a hand over her face and feels the mattress dip when Harper settles beside her. “So the whole thing with Finn happened. Which, by the way, _thank you_ for taking that video and showing Raven.”

Harper laughs, “Oh the second I saw you two in the same room I knew something was going to happen, he’s predictable like that. And Raven,” she shrugs, “we worked together on some projects, her school does a lot of community stuff, and after the whole thing she was super down. Figured at the very least seeing him get chewed out would cheer her up.”

“You were right. Anyways, the whole Finn incident… Finncident,” she snorts, “everyone lowkey ghosted me so I did it right back. Then I found out my mother was sleeping around,” she pauses at Harper’s startled noise, “right?” She sighs and shrugs, “I ditched everywhere everyone always goes and met someone,” and now she smiles and she can’t help it, she knows it’s a goofy smile.

“Must be _someone_ ,” Harper teases, elbowing her side.

“She really is,” her smile stretches into a grin. “She’s the best. Which is why I will not be staying here when there’s a way better offer on the table.”

Harper nods and grins as well, “Let’s at least swap numbers so if you do come back to the room I don’t freak, huh?”

Clarke nods and they exchange phones. That settled, she glances at the time, “Whelp, I’d say I’m sorry to run off already, but I’m not!”

She stands, they hug again, and she heads back out the way she came with a bounce in her step. The end of the summer hadn’t changed near as much as she’d feared, despite everything that had happened. Her dad had decided to get an apartment here to be closer to her when he was in the country and they’d already made plans to have a weekly dinner, all three of them. He seemed to adore Lexa as much as she did, and the surprise on Lexa’s face every time he made that clear was comedy gold.

Someday, she hoped, Lexa would just accept his affection as she had her’s, but hopefully not too soon. It was an absolute delight to see her stoic facade crack, no matter the reason, even if she regularly got to see the woman underneath anyways.

And Lexa, Lexa was perfect. It was far from the first time she’d thought that, but every day and every interaction made her think it and feel it and believe it more, and more deeply. She hadn’t quite realized how emotionally entangled they’d become until Lexa had spent a night away, having to head over to her student apartment at a late hour to get the keys. She’d curled up in _their_ bed, hugging her pillow and trying to fight off the antsy itchiness that came from being alone in bed.

She’d finally gotten to sleep sometime in the early hours and was awoken after very little of it by a body crashing into bed with her. When she’d turned and found Lexa faceplanted into her pillow she’d just about lost it laughing. Lexa had huffed that she couldn’t sleep and so drove back, very slowly, on her bike. Clarke wanted to be mad at her for driving so tired but she couldn’t fault her at all, and they finally found rest as dawn was breaking.

Shaking herself from her reverie, Clarke hopped up the single flight of stairs that lead to Lexa’s student apartment. “Hellooo~” she called sing-song into the hallway, kicking off her shoes before finding the woman on her mind settled on the couch with a headset on, growling at a video game.

Grinning, she snuck up behind her and watched the screen, waiting for the perfect moment. It came not a minute later, Lexa lining up a careful sniper shot, even holding her breath, and Clarke pounced. 

Flinging her arms around her shoulders and planting a sloppy kiss on her cheek, almost collapsing with laughter as Lexa let out a noise somewhere between a squeak and a scream. The withering glare she got a second later did have her collapsing and she fell over the back of the couch, all but crawling into her lap.

“Are you trying to kill me?” Lexa asked, glaring down at her and tossing the controller to the side.

“Only a little,” she replied with an impish grin. Truth be told, if she’d greeted her any other way Lexa was just as likely to barely acknowledge her until she was done with whatever level or quest or _whatever_ she was caught up in. Normally she didn’t mind, but it was good to shake things up a bit.

Lexa rolled her eyes and sighed, wrapping her arms around Clarke and pulling her sideways into her lap. “Well, you have my attention now. What do you want with it?”

She caught Lexa’s eyes and very slowly raised a single eyebrow, enjoying watching the gears turn in her head until a very light blush crossed her cheeks. She leaned forward and bit Lexa’s lower lip, pulling slightly and letting it go with a snap, “I have a few ideas.”

~~~~~~

Lexa stares up at the ceiling, comfortable with the familiar weight of Clarke asleep on her chest. This was how they ended almost every night, after all. Whether they had sex or simply fell into bed to sleep, Clarke inevitably found her more comfortable than the many pillows she insisted belonged on the bed.

It was a far cry from where she was a year ago. Alone, far more often than not, and if she was with someone she was not in her own bed. And she certainly never snuggled up. She never woke with another’s hair in her mouth or fell asleep to steady breath against her neck. 

She hadn’t been lonely, exactly. Content, perhaps. But it did feel like something was lacking. She probably never would’ve figured it out if Clarke hadn’t slipped into her life the way she had. She’d have been resistant to the idea that she _needed_ someone. But the blonde hadn’t tried to be needed, she’d simply been there, every day, until the idea of her not being there was foreign and distasteful.

She’d so easily melded into her life, and maybe that was because neither of them had much of a life on their own. Clarke’s was in tatters and Lexa’s was in fragments, but the more they spent together the less it felt like she wasn’t whole.

The rhythm they’d established, the days in and nights out and time spent with friends and family, no matter what drama seemed to pop up, it felt _better_ than what she’d had before. Being alone now, she didn’t fear it, but she did dread it. She found that out the one night they’d tried to be apart.

It didn’t feel clingy or desperate, but like a chaffing itch, that something was simply _wrong_ with the world when she couldn’t fall asleep to the sensation of Clarke’s warmth seeping into her skin. Things were simply _better_ with the younger woman around, in a quiet, constant way that left her feeling mellow and, more than content, _happy_.

And thinking on it, she hadn’t been _happy_ in a long time. Maybe not since her parents were alive. And maybe it was because she was touch starved or socially stunted, more prone to a punch than a hug, but if that’s how Clarke had broken down her walls, well she wasn’t going to complain.

The fact was, no matter how it had happened, at this point she was hooked. Irrevocably in love, and better yet, loved in return. The thought alone had her holding Clarke tighter, almost trying to will the swelling warmth in her chest into the body atop her, like if she just held her close enough she could make her feel the depths of her emotions.

She thought maybe she’d succeeded a bit when, still asleep, Clarke clung back and a small smile crossed her face.

She hoped, wished, maybe prayed a little, for many more nights like this. She didn’t feel like she deserved this kind of happiness, but if the universe decided to give it to her, well, she wasn’t stupid enough to turn it away. Not for anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Here's my Tumblr](https://theplaguebeast.tumblr.com/), it's way better for talking to me and I'd love to hear from you all!
> 
> I have vague notions for what may happen, but if you guys want to see anything specific, interactions, confrontations, characters I haven't introduced yet, anything, yell it out at me in the comments or on my Tumblr. Even if I don't use what you say, it gets me thinking, which means I write more!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surnames, Octavia texts, dinner with Jake

Clarke’s head snapped up suddenly, Lexa’s attention diverting immediately from the textbook she was reading to look at her. She waited, watching her expression shift. It started looking fairly startled, then mildly confused, before settling on _deeply_ confused. Finally she turned to look at Lexa and, while she wasn’t certain what was about to come out of her mouth, it was absolutely _not_ “What’s your last name?”

She felt her jaw drop and knew she looked just as confused as Clarke did. _Surely_ at some point that had come up? But, but no. She had no idea what Clarke’s last name was, and as she considered it, she’d never mentioned her own either. It was a baffling realization. “Uh… Woods.”

Clarke nodded, seeming to commit it to memory before offering, “Griffin,” and returning back to her own textbooks, concentration now overtaking her features and leaving Lexa a little bit lost as to the whole interaction. Which was, to be fair, not entirely new when it came to Clarke.

~~~~~~

Clarke stared down at her phone, brow furrowed somewhere between confusion and frustration. She’d been staring at it so long and hard she didn’t even notice Lexa settle next to her and so was startled when her hand settled on her shoulder.

“What’s up?” Lexa asked, glancing at the phone then back to Clarke’s face, mild worry apparent in the quirk of her brows.

Clarke glanced at her phone again before looking back to Lexa, “Octavia texted. She, uh, thanked me for hooking Bell up with Anya. It’s going… really well, apparently,” she said slowly, trying to work out exactly what she was feeling at the moment.

“That’s… good then?” Lexa tilted her head, loose hair tumbling down her shoulder. “That was the point, right?”

Clarke nodded, looked back at her phone and bit her lip. “Yeah, it’s just. She hasn’t said anything else. Not since the bar. I don’t… understand why she’s… decided now. Or decided that was the reason?” She looked back to Lexa, she could feel a headache building from between her eyebrows but couldn’t will them to relax.

“Well… It’s a pretty,” she pursed her lips, “neutral topic. To start with. I can’t say I know her but…” she shrugged, “Maybe she wants to make amends and doesn’t know where to start.”

Clarke nodded again, slowly setting the phone on the coffee table. “She has never been good at apologizing,” she acknowledged, staring at the black screen. “Even when she was really clearly in the wrong, which… I can’t really say she was here. She didn’t really _do_ anything,” a smile twitched at the edges of her mouth, “I suppose that’s actually the problem. She _didn’t_ do anything. Just… ran off with her new boyfriend and ignored pretty much everything else. Even when I really needed her.”

Lexa wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, and Clarke was thankful she knew that physical support during emotional conversations helped. “Think maybe you could just,” she bit her lip like she was trying to chew the words into something palatable, “let it go? Seems like she wants to be part of your life, no matter how things got between you two.”

She dropped her head to Lexa’s shoulder, “I’ve already forgiven her for ditching me. It’s the rest, the pretending it didn’t happen. That she could just act like everything was fine even when it wasn’t. That’s what really pissed me off. No, I’ll need a real apology from her for that part.”

She hadn’t really realized that’s where she stood until the words were coming out of her mouth but, upon reflection, decided they were true. She’d been plenty upset that one of her best friends had abandoned her when she really needed help, but that had faded because she _understood_ why it happened. It was the fact that she kept trying to come back like nothing was different. That she didn’t acknowledge Clarke’s entire downward spiral following the events of prom night. 

What hurt was that her friend refused to acknowledge that she’d _changed_ , deeply. That even if it was just high school drama bullshit, that it had affected her on a fundamental level.

Of course, that said nothing of the change in her that followed her confrontation with her mother. She’d gotten sick, to the point she could almost vomit, of playing pretend and soothing everyone’s ruffled feathers after that. So she’d stopped trying, and she found out that she didn’t have nearly as many friends as she’d thought.

Point of fact, the only person she’d regularly spoken to by then was Aden, and that was at the end of the day, and it was almost always about whatever pieces they were working on. It was shallow, but it felt _normal_ and after a month of being the school’s pariah for being a _victim_ , well. Normal was great, no matter how shallow it was.

Now she had Lexa, and Raven was back in her life, but she still… There weren’t many people close to her anymore. Fewer that she trusted. Really only _one_ that she truly trusted, aside from her dad. It was a lonely feeling.

She’d been on friendly terms with a lot of people and to have them all so suddenly turn their backs on her for something that was entirely out of her control… it was isolating, infuriating, and it _hurt_. So she didn’t really have friends anymore and it left a sour feeling in her mouth to realize that.

She’d gotten lost in her thoughts and only came back when Lexa pressed a kiss between her eyebrows, instantly soothing the headache that was trying to form. She smiled at the older woman and tilted her head in a ‘why?’

“Thinking too hard. I could _hear_ the gears grinding,” she teased, kissing her cheek now. “You’ve got every right to want an apology. She wasn’t on your side until after the smoke cleared, that’s low. Let her know that.”

Clarke turned to look more fully at Lexa and wondered how she’d managed to find someone so… everything. Everything she could ever want. She knew she must have an absolutely lovesick look on her face because Lexa’s had turned to mild confusion. She answered the unspoken question with “I love you” and then kissed her surprised smile.

~~~~~~

Clarke slid into the booth across from her dad, tugging Lexa in beside her. She’d been reluctant to come, like she always was, to the weekly dinners with Jake. Kept saying things like ‘I don’t want to intrude’ and ‘it’s important you get time with him’ and ‘he always insists on paying’. That last one was her favorite, they’d started into an increasingly convoluted battle to ensure they got the check, and Jake always won.

Last time he’d handed his card to the waitress before anyone had even ordered and when the meal was done and Lexa was looking for the check he just grinned at her scowl. It was a fun competition to observe, the both of them stubborn when it came to something so meaningless.

“Hey girls,” he greeted, still perusing the menu, “How’s your first week been?”

Clarke dropped her head to the tabletop with an explosive grunt, Lexa chuckling and patting her back. “Rough for this one,” she said, rubbing between her shoulderblades.

Clarke lifted her head just enough to put her chin on the table, “I have so many syallabuses… syllabi?” She shot a confused glance to Lexa then shrugged, “Whatever, so many that I can’t even keep them straight.”

“Better start organizing now then,” her dad said, shaking his head.

“I’m just gonna forget how I organized things next week,” Clarke argued, then lifted her head enough to smile at the waitress and order an ice tea. “The only reason I even remember which class is when or where is ‘cause I put it all in my phone with really obnoxious alerts like… first day.”

“That and... “ Lexa shot her a Look, “I keep texting you to remind you.”

“Hey. _Hey._ That’s only saved my ass _once_.”

“...It’s the first week, Clarke, it really doesn’t set a good precedent.”

Jake chuckled at the pair and folded up his menu. “How bout you, Lexa? Classes starting fine?”

She looked surprised to be asked, like she always did when he showed interest in her life. “Yeah, no problems at all. My biggest worry is making sure she,” a poke to Clarke’s upper arm, “gets her shit done.”

Clarke rubbed her bicep and glared at Lexa. She was already so much more ahead on where she’d normally be when it came to any kind of classwork, and it was because Lexa refused to let her put it off even half as much as she’d prefer. Last minute essays and cram sessions were how she operated!

She grumbled almost inaudibly and took a gulp from her drink while Lexa and Jake shared a laugh at her expense. The sound alone cleared any actual negative feelings she had for the situation, but she kept up the grumpy face anyways.

“Just because you’re like, the _most_ organized, and get your work done like the _minute_ it’s assigned…” she trailed off with a huff, pouting and pulling the menu up to glower at the burger options.

She caught Lexa shaking her head and smirking from the corner of her eye and elbowed her in the ribs, countered immediately by Lexa hooking her arm through Clarke’s and pulling their sides flush. Apparently she’d caught on to her ultimate weakness: cuddling. She wasn’t complaining.

“Well I’m just happy there’s someone to keep you on track,” Jake said, watching the duo fondly. “I hope Clarke’s bad habits aren’t rubbing off on you, Lexa.”

She glanced at Clarke and very slowly raised an eyebrow, “You and me both. But I know there’s at least two boxes of poptarts in my cupboard that I didn’t buy, and laundry on the floor that I didn’t leave there.”

Clarke mock-gasped, slapping Lexa’s shoulder, “If I’m just going to be attacked all dinner I’m gonna go home and have those poptarts instead!”

“And do some laundry?” Jake teased with a twinkle in his eyes.

“I will absolutely climb over the table to escape this assault on my personal habits,” she shot back, glaring between the both of them, thrilled that Lexa had relaxed enough for this.

Lexa slung an arm around her shoulder and she couldn’t stop herself from melting into the embrace just a little bit, “No need to run away from the truth. It’ll still be there when you get back.”

Clarke huffed and hid her face in the menu to disguise her smile. Even if she was getting ganged up on a bit, she’d missed dinners like this. It was too nice, too good, to be really upset. Plus, she really had dropped the ball on keeping their space tidy. It wasn’t her fault that she got home so exhausted she just stripped wherever she was and faceplanted into the couch until Lexa got home. And if the clothes didn’t wisk themselves away to the hamper, well, that wasn’t her fault either.

She really didn’t mind the teasing, though, because it meant that Lexa had noticed, and cared, and wasn’t upset. And that was all that really mattered to her right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first section was something that popped into my head fully formed. Just, the realization that they had at no point had any reason to share their last names. IDK if/when you learn _your_ friends surnames but _I_ pretty much never did for any of them, especially not as an adult.
> 
> Second section is just about why Clarke is so much more upset with Octavia than Raven at this point. Like, at least Raven had a semi-valid reason for ignoring her, Octavia was just kind of an asshole.
> 
> Third just kind of fell onto the page, all I knew was Jake+Clexa dinner. Then the Clarke teasing started and wouldn't stop.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's sin. It's also kinda short.

“Alright, put the textbook down.”

Lexa shot her head up at Clarke’s words, head tilting in confusion. “Wwwwwhy?” she asked warily.

Clarke smirked and slowly pulled the book from Lexa’s hands, tossed a random paper between the pages to keep her place, and set it on the coffee table. She stood and grabbed her hands, still in the position they’d been in to hold the book, and pulled her to her feet as well. She walked backwards, dragging her girlfriend towards their bed.

Lexa cocked an eyebrow at her but she just kept her face teasing and potentially a little smug. It was nice to see Lexa was basically incapable of ignoring her when she put her mind to it.

When they reached the bed she spun them around and shoved her gently to the mattress. “Strip.”

Lexa’s other brow raised but she complied, Clarke had earned that kind of trust very carefully and she was thrilled to see her investment paying off. 

As soon as Lexa was naked she gestured for her to move to the center of the bed and then ordered, “Flip over.”

Still a little confused but willing to play along, Lexa rolled onto her stomach and Clarke took a moment to appreciate just how gorgeous she was. She felt a cheshire grin sprawl across her face as she climbed onto the bed after her. 

Straddling her hips, she grabbed the lotion off the nightstand and covered her palms. “You kept rolling your neck, you’re tense as _fuck_ ,” she finally explained, running her hands up and down her back and across her shoulders lightly before she started digging into knotted muscles.

It was incredibly gratifying to hear the belly-deep groan that Lexa let out when she worked her thumbs into the tight mass of her trapezius. She kept her self-satisfied look and worked her hands up and down her back, driving knuckles into the muscles on either side of her spine, digging into the ones under the wings of her shoulderblades, up and down the sides of her neck.

She loved getting her hands on her girlfriend at any time, really, but when she could get her underneath her, loose and relaxed, that was probably her favorite. It didn’t hurt that her muscle definition was almost good enough to study off of.

“I didn’t know you were so good at this,” Lexa mumbled into the mattress where her face was pressed. “You have so many secret talents.”

Clarke chuckled, “My mom taught me, she’d come home from work all up in knots and I asked how I could help.”

It didn’t hurt to talk about her mom. She felt… distinct, from the woman she called mother. A Before and After, when she could trust her and rely on her and _like_ her and when she couldn’t. So it didn’t hurt to talk about her as long as she kept that barrier in place and didn’t think about it too much.

“Taught by a surgeon, that’ll do it,” she interrupted herself with another satisfied groan, a shudder running down the length of her body as a particularly bad section finally let up.

Clarke lightened her touch, moving from beating the muscles into compliance to just touching because it made both of them feel good. She leaned over and pressed slow kisses to the back of her shoulders, ran her nose along the back of her neck, nipped at the corner of her jaw she could reach.

She caught the edge of a smirk on Lexa’s lips before she rolled onto her back beneath her. Clarke didn’t let up on her ministrations, moving her hands up and down her abdominals and her lips along her collarbone.

Lexa reached a hand up to tangle in the hair on the back of her head and pulled her up for a kiss somewhere between sweet and searing and she couldn’t help but to moan into it a little. Touching Lexa always got her at least a little worked up, after all she was sexy as hell.

Lexa’s hands found her ass and coaxed her upwards. “You should take those shorts off,” she said, toying with the hem.

“Oh? Got plans for me?” Clarke teased, even as she eased to the side to kick herself free of her bottom and her top.

“Always,” Lexa smirked, pulling her back over. “Now get up here,” she patted the bed on either side of her head and grinned in response to the delighted look on Clarke’s face.

“Yes ma’am!” She scrambled up her body, a little awkwardly, and sighed happily when Lexa’s hands settled on her thighs, holding her in place over her face. She sucked in a surprised breath when she felt a tongue part her folds, and let it out shakily when Lexa encouraged her to settle down lower.

“I’m super fuckin’ relaxed so just… go to town,” Lexa said, smiling up at her from between her legs before opening her mouth wide and licking her broadly. A full body shudder passed through her before she buried her hands in Lexa’s hair and started rocking against her open mouth.

It was a familiar thing, to be riding Lexa, but to be riding her _face_ was a particular treat as Lexa was typically too interested in controlling the experience of having her mouth on Clarke, but apparently when she was boneless from massage she was excited to let it happen. Clarke filed _that_ information away for later.

Her hips were rolling and grinding and she felt a flush coursing up over her chest. One of Lexa’s hands slipped from her thigh and she felt a finger teasing her entrance, offering. She shifted just enough to sink down on that as well and moaned high in her throat.

Lexa was holding still, for the most part, leaving the entire experience in Clarke’s hands, and Clarke was loving it, her head thrown back and panting. 

“Babe, another,” she almost whined, clenching on the finger inside her, then moaning again when her request was granted. Her hips started moving faster, harder, rocking rapidly between fingers and mouth before her orgasm crashed over her, leaving her whole body taut and arched for long moments.

As soon as it let up, she fell to the side, feeling Lexa slip out of her at the same time. She wiggled just enough to throw a leg over Lexa’s hips and press a still-panting kiss to her shoulder.

She cracked an eye just in time to see Lexa cleaning her fingers with her mouth, an extremely satisfied look on her face.

“Y’know, I didn’t give you the massage to seduce you,” Clarke said, unable to stifle her grin.

“Yep. That’s why it worked.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, the massage was NOT supposed to turn into that. It was just supposed to be Clarke being nice to Lexa, and then Lexa was like "Uhm, but she's hot and had her hands all over me how could I NOT want to do something about that?" and here we are.
> 
> Also, like the sex scenes in the previous story, this works exceptionally well as a summary for their whole relationship. Notice how this time _actual words_ are spoken! Seriously, IDK how it wound up being like this but sex-as-summary seems to be the running theme for these two. Go figure?
> 
> This one is also, I think, the most explicit of the sex scenes and I really don't know how well it works. I don't really do The Sex so... Lemme know what y'all think.
> 
> [Feel free to harass me on Tumblr](https://theplaguebeast.tumblr.com/) about this or my other stories or anything else really!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A party, a broken nose, an ex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you miss me? I missed you!  
> I had to reread the whole series to make sure I got the tone right.

Clarke kept her arm hooked through Harper’s as they entered the frat house. She had no reason to be there except as support for her friend; after her disaster of a life last spring she’d all but sworn off that kind of party. However, she wasn’t about to let Harper go it alone into the lion’s den, so when asked to be her party-buddy and help her make smart choices, she sighed and agreed.

It wasn’t the _worst_ way to spend a night, but Lexa wouldn’t be there for a while yet. Clarke couldn’t begrudge her work ethic, her homework was nowhere near done and yet, party. Because Harper asked and Clarke was _too damn nice_.

“I don’t care what’s in it but grab me a cup so no one tries to bring me a drink,” Clarke mutters into Harper’s ear while they approach a drinks table. The last thing she needs is people flirting with her. It’ll happen, but she doesn’t want it to, so she’s pulling out all her tricks to be invisible while keeping an eye on her friend.

She takes the solo cup Harper snagged for her, takes a sniff to try and identify the contents, and scrunches her nose at the jungle juice inside. _Typical_. She pretends to sip at it while skimming the crowd, alternating between playing Catan on her phone and catching Harper’s eye to make sure she was chill.

Harper suddenly appeared beside her, a little flushed from drink or dancing, eyes twinkling. “C’mon Clarke, even if you’re not gonna drink, you’re gonna dance!” She grabbed both her hands, pulling her into the crowd while Clarke put up entirely token protests, grumbling about how she’d almost finished her game. Still, by the time they reached a place clear enough for them, she was grinning just as widely as Harper.

It was hot, between the mass of bodies and the last heat of summer the impromptu dancefloor was stifling and humid. She could feel the sweat rolling down her spine and soaking into her tank top while she moved with the beat. Her focus was on not losing Harper to the crowd, taking a step closer whenever it looked like they were going to be parted, even grabbing her for some silly move if they were getting separated.

She was laughing as she spun Harper into a twirl when she froze. There was a hand on her ass and it _wasn’t Lexa’s hand_. So someone was going to lose an appendage tonight. She caught Harper’s eye and tilted her head just enough to glimpse whoever was dumb enough to touch her.

_Of. Fucking. Course._

She whirled around and with her momentum brought her hand up to a solid slap right across Finn’s cheek. The sound caused several people around them to stop dancing and she had a vicious smile as she watched his cheek bloom bright red. The handprint was nearly perfect. His shocked expression was _absolutely_ perfect.

“I told you, you don’t get to touch me anymore. I also told you, last time I saw you, something very important. What was it, Finn? What did I tell you last time I saw you?” She’s snarling, and her voice is low but it’s carrying. Someone turned the music down. They’re making a scene. Harper’s definitely got her phone out. _Good._

Finn’s just gaping at her, like he can’t believe she’s _still_ turning him down. Like he had any invitation at all to have his hands anywhere near her body. He huffs and brushes his hair back, _god it needs to be hacked off_ , “I don’t remember.”

“Convenient. Too bad. I _told you_ and it’s not my fault if you don’t remember. You’re the one always starting this shit,” she added with a shake of her head. The crowd around them has backed away somewhat, there’s room for a proper confrontation and _fuck_ if this hasn’t been building for months. She’s borderline excited for what’s about to happen.

“ _Babe_ , please, you know-” he cuts himself off to catch her hand coming at his face again. He grips her wrist hard and if he was stronger she’d worry about bruises, but he’s not, so she isn’t. In fact, it’s exactly what she wanted him to do.

“You don’t get to call me that,” she looks him in the eyes, then looks at his hand on her wrist. His grip tightens a little. She looks back to his eyes and grins. There’s a split second of confusion on his face before she moves, a step back to yank on the arm he’s holding, pulling him closer, while her other hand moves forwards and upwards. The heel of her palm crunches into the underside of his nose and he makes a noise somewhere between a scream and a yelp. He lets go of her wrist.

“I told you, I said ‘if I ever see you again I’m breaking your nose.’ Congratulations. Now you know I don’t bluff.” She’s shaking out her wrist, giving it an appraising look before turning a disdainful one on him. “You should go to the hospital, someone needs to set that.”

He’s doubled over and clutching at his face before casting a furious look at her. “You _bitch!_ ” and he tries to lunge for her but really he’s not thinking straight and it’s not really his fault he forgot that a kick to the balls will drop any man to his knees.

Clarke crosses her arms and takes a step back from where he’s crumpled on the floor, alternating between gripping his face and his junk. “Someone, please take him to the hospital,” she addresses to the crowd before turning on her toes and heading for the kitchen.

Harper catches up to her the moment she’s finished gulping down a cup of water. “I got the whole fucking thing on video. That was badass.”

Clarke shoots her a grin and tips her cup in a mock toast. “I’ll need that video. I’m getting a restraining order. This is the third time he’s just _showed up_ and been all up in my business. Legit, he might be stalking me.”

“I don’t think he even goes to school here, I heard some gossip that he wanted a gap year, so I have no idea what he’s doing here.”

“Cool, then he’s almost definitely a stalker,” Clarke rolled her eyes, “My first real boyfriend and he’s crazy.”

Harper shrugged, “Not much to add to that honestly. At least you can beat him up?”

Clarke snorted into her water and nodded, then quirked a brow at an older girl who came up to their little corner of the kitchen.

“You’ll be pleased to hear he’s not only been dragged off to be dumped outside the ER, but he’s also been banned from pretty much every frat that cares about their reputations as safe places for women. Which is more than I thought there would be.”

Clarke chuckled, “Very pleased. I might even come to another party this year. I’m Clarke, you are?”

“Costia. And I’m surprised you’re thinking of hitting another party, you didn’t much look like you were having fun before all the excitement.”

“I wasn’t. Were you watching me?” Clarke asked with a slowly rising eyebrow, casting a quick glance to Harper to make sure she was reading this right and she was getting flirted with.

“I was, is that a problem?” Costia tipped her head to the side and leaned her hip against the counter.

“Not for me,” Clarke bit her lip and turned just enough to look out into the rest of the house, eyes catching the familiar shape of a leather jacket and the tail end of brunette hair. “My girlfriend might have an issue with it though.”

Harper let out a sharp whistle that turned a few heads, including the one they wanted, and she watched as Lexa strolled in their direction, eyes fixated on Clarke. “So I heard I missed a real show!”

Clarke grinned and grabbed the lapels of her jacket, tugging her close, “Finn slapped my ass, I slapped his face. Then he started getting all _Finn_ and I broke his nose.”

Lexa chuckled, resting her hands on Clarke’s hips, “Tell me there’s video.”

Harper waggled her phone between them, “There’s video!” she squealed as they both leaned away from her flailing.

“I was just getting some congratulations flirting when you showed up. Perfect timing, as usual my knight.” Clarke dodged around Harper’s hand to give Lexa a quick peck on the lips.

“Who’s crazy enough to flirt with you _after_ you break a guy’s nose?” Lexa arched a brow and glanced to the side, freezing solid when she saw the last part of the kitchen group. “Costia?”

Clarke glanced back at the other woman and saw her give a sort of meek half-wave. She glanced between Lexa, still as a stone, and Costia, sheepishly shuffling. She grinned, “You two dated, didn’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

Lexa groaned and slumped her head forward to hide her face against Clarke’s shoulder. “She was my last girlfriend, broke up like three years ago?”

Clarke patted the back of Lexa’s head in a manner both consoling and condescending. She caught Costia’s eye and shrugged with her free shoulder. “Are you gonna make this super awkward, babe, or are you gonna get us something to drink that doesn’t taste like frat ass?”

Lexa groaned again, pulling away with a slight pout before turning and meandering towards a table of alcohol and mixers. Hopefully she’d pull something halfway decent and barely alcoholic together.

Turning back towards Costia, Clarke grinned. The other woman looked mildly stunned and it was clear as day that Clarke’s Lexa was very different from Costia’s Lexa. 

When she finally made eye contact with Clarke she shrugged slightly, “So how did you two meet anyways?”

Clarke bit her lip with a smirk, “I seduced her at a bar and brought her home to have really loud sex to piss off my mom.”

Between Costia’s stunned look and Harper’s breathless barking laughter, Clarke found it to be a pretty good end to the evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole chapter ran thru my head like a movie, but there were only two parts that were really solid for me before I wrote them. The exact way that Clarke breaks Finn's nose, and Clarke's last line. Those were 100% exactly as intended. Everything else? IDK
> 
> I also DK what's next, because honestly this was the only thing I KNEW was going to happen in the sequel, the Nose Break Party. Because Clarke promised, and y'all were a little rabid for me (me too tbh). So I'm open to suggestions, lmk what you guys want to see explored from here on out! Just remember that the series is entirely in Clarke and Lexa's POVs, so one of them's gotta be there.
> 
> On a personal note: I have adhd and my I can only really write when my fixation swings around to it. It's why I'll have something for _several_ stories every day for a month and then _nothing at all_ for several months. And, I CAN withhold chapters to try and give more consistent content, but I prefer being open for immediate feedback? IDK lmk what y'all think, especially if you read my other fics as well, because they've been stagnant longer.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy!

Lexa felt like the world shifted into slow-motion as she watched Clarke’s head whip up like a hound scenting quarry. She watched as she jumped to her feet and took off at a flat run across the quad, straight towards a tall man with a mop of dark curls on his head. It was with mixed trepidation and fascination she saw Clarke leap at his back and wrap her legs around his waist.

“Bellamy!”

 _Ah,_ she thought, as he staggered and almost tipped forward under Clarke’s sudden weight, _the beardee_.

“If it isn’t my favorite _human projectile_ ,” Bellamy grumbled, shifting around so he could hold her legs.

“I’m your favorite a lot of things, don’t pretend Bell. Now, you see that really hot brunette over there? Hyah!” She waved a hand in Lexa’s direction and shoved Bellamy’s shoulder like that could start him walking in her direction. 

He rolled his eyes and followed orders, stopping beside Lexa before dropping like a puppet with cut strings, laughing as Clarke yelped in surprise. She rolled off his back and grabbed him in a front headlock. “You ass! Here I was about to introduce you to my amazing girlfriend and you have to go and be all _Bellamy_ about it!”

He grabbed her elbows and pried her arms off him, grinning. “You started it!”

“I’m finishing it!” She crowed, launching herself at him, knocking him onto his back, and wrapping her arms around his torso in as crushing a hug as she could manage. “I missed your stupid face.”

He hauled himself upright, managing to let her keep her hug and pull her into his lap. “Missed you too,” he cast a glance at Lexa who was staring agog at the entire scene that had just unfurled in front of her. “You must be Lexa.”

She blinked slowly, nodded, and blinked again. “Yeah, I take it you’re Bellamy. Is this… Normal behaviour?”

Bellamy looked down at the blonde who’d managed to wrap all her limbs around his torso and shrugged as best he could. “The tackling tends to be pretty proportional to how long since we’ve seen each other last so… Actually this is a little mild.”

Clarke piped up from where her face was buried in his chest, “I was going to climb onto your shoulders but you were looking a little noodly and I didn’t want you to eat shit, that’d be a terrible first impression.”

“Gee, thanks,” he said dryly, prying her away from him by the shoulders and shoving her gently backwards towards Lexa. She let it happen and sprawled out on her back, grinning.

“So, Bell, please please _please_ tell me all about how Anya’s doing!”

Lexa shot a look between them before she remembered that whole deal. “Oh my god, yeah!”

Bellamy’s grin went a little crooked and his eyes lit up, “She’s freakin’ fantastic. Holy shit it’s amazing. I don’t know how she does it but I think her absolute favorite pastime with my mom is getting her to agree with whatever stupid thing she’s saying. Like, she keeps coming up with the dumbest opinions and stances on topics and just… talks my mom in circles until she’s agreeing with whatever she’s saying. It’s… Clarke, no offense, but it’s better than when you were being a full on bitch to her.”

Clarke gasped in outrage, “Nothing is better than being a full on bitch to you mom. Making her look stupid is _amazing_ but there’s a special kind of satisfaction to be had from all but calling her a cunt to her face and watching her grind her teeth behind her smile.”

“Consider: A dinner party where she accidentally agreed with racial supremacy in front of all her friends.”

“ _NO_!”

“ _Yes_.”

“Lexa, babe,” Clarke turned towards her, “I love you and all but I think I have a crush on Anya now.”

Lexa slowly raised an eyebrow at that and contemplated the situation, “Yeah, me too a little bit.”

“I’m getting her a thank you present. Does she like knives? She seems like the kind of woman who likes knives.”

~*~

Clarke sighed and sat up finally, catching Bellamy’s eye. “Real talk for a hot minute. Is O still determined to keep her head up her ass?”

Bellamy leaned back on the grass, propping himself up with one hand while he scratched the stubble on his chin with the other. “Honestly? She still can’t figure out why you guys aren’t talking. I love her, but she’s really dense sometimes.”

Clarke sighed heavily and nodded. “If you can hint to her that it’s the fact that, after _everything_ that went down the first words she said to me were about how _I_ had been radio silent. Like, you know I texted her constantly for like a week right? I never got a response!”

She felt Lexa’s hand come to rest on her lower back, rubbing gently and scratching lightly to give her something else to focus on.

“Yeah, I don’t know what’s wrong with her... “ He shrugged helplessly. “I’ll see if there’s anything I can do but like… I’m not gonna hold it against you if you write her off. She’s being so… _Octavia_ about it all.”

She hummed in agreement and leaned more heavily into Lexa’s touch. “Oh, by the by, I’m going to the police station as soon as I can. I’m filing for a restraining order against Finn.”

Bellamy’s head shot up and his eyes went wide, then narrowed into a glare in the middle distance, like he was imagining Finn and punching him with his mind. “What’d he do now?”

Lexa snorted, “What did you hear about last?”

“Prom.”

“Oh wow you are hella out of the loop,” Clarke mumbled, tucking her hair back behind her ears. “Okay so like, middle of summer Lexa and I are at the mall and he comes up and is all _Finn_ at me. And he grabs me, so I make him let go. It’s like a whole argument, whatever, Harper got it on video.”

“Send it to me please.”

“You bet. Anyways, couple weeks later we’re at the bar-”

“Bar?” His eyes narrowed on her.

“-where I met Lexa-”

“You met her at a bar?”

Clarke rolled her eyes, “I picked her up at a bar. We hung out there like every night. _The point is_ ,” she shot him a glare, “Finn showed up, already drunk, and started ranting at Lexa and, babe fill in here I don’t remember it super good.”

“Uh, he was basically calling Clarke a slut, and me a cheap replacement for him,” she mumbled, scratching one of her piercings.

“Okay, so, he’s a dead man, got it,” Bellamy nodded.

“Right. So I came up and he freakin grabbed me again, so I twisted his arm and kicked him out. Thankfully all the many large muscular guys there love me,” she grinned.

“Of course they do,” he rolled his eyes.

“Last incident, and the one that makes me think he’s actually following me,” she sobered up, and waited for Bellamy to make eye contact. “A party last week. He doesn’t even go to school here, and he showed up at the party and grabbed my ass… and then my arm again, y’know he’s really gotta try something new. This time I broke his nose.”

“And kicked him in the balls,” Lexa chimed in.

“Right, he lunged at me. Dropped him like a sack of potatoes. Harper _also_ got that on video. Bless her, I need to get her a gift card or something,” she trailed off in thought.

Bellamy nodded and chewed his lip. “Sounds like he’s lowkey losing it.”

“Midkey, flirting with highkey. He thinks I am and always have been in love with him,” she scoffed, leaning further into Lexa’s loose embrace.

“Wow. Well… Just lemme know if there’s anything I can do to help. I owe you basically for life, y’know?” He shot her a crooked grin that she matched.

After a beat Clarke remembered, and blurted out, “Lexa’s ex flirted with me after I downed Finn!”

Lexa’s response was to shove her face in her palms and groan long and low while Bellamy’s head tipped back in laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bell's a good guy here and he's just been busy dealing with his own shit, but he and Clarke are tight. If it's not been made clear, or if you've forgotten, she was his beard at all family functions and vacations for around five years. They're close as shit.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soft times with our girls and then a new friend.

It was a lazy day, they had decided by silent accord. A day to lounge at home and ignore homework and friends and just relax on the couch in each other’s arms. 

Lexa was scrolling through the laptop hooked up to the TV, debating between putting on a film on Netflix or pulling up an old favorite let’s play series. Clarke was being utterly unhelpful, shrugging at every suggestion. What they watched didn’t matter, that they were watching together did.

Finally a decision was reached and Lexa settled back into the cushions. It took about five minutes for her to twist sideways on the couch and start the long game of wiggling her feet under Clarke. She liked to see how far she could get her legs underneath before Clarke gave up and settled atop her.

Today it hardly took any time at all, the moment Clarke realized what she was doing she huffed and shifted so her back was pressed to Lexa’s front. She rubbed her cheek against Lexa’s shoulder and pulled her arms around her waist, playing idly with her fingers while chuckling at the screen.

Lexa’s attention was not quite so split as Clarke’s was, and as soon as she felt the warm weight settle properly against her she had a brilliant idea. She wondered how long it would take Clarke to catch on to this game.

She started by slowly rubbing their legs together, enjoying the silky feeling of their freshly shaved and lotioned legs. It took very little effort to tangle them up so that Clarke’s legs were trapped under her own, with Clarke none the wiser for it, still wrapped up in the TV.

The next step was a little trickier, so she went one arm at a time. She swept her left elbow around Clarke’s forearm and grabbed the back of her hand, rubbing it gently. Her right she swooped over Clarke’s shoulder, nudging Clarke’s elbow down towards the couch cushion and trapping it between their bodies and the back of the couch.

She took a moment to assess and confirmed that she’d effectively gotten Clarke into a full body grapple, and she couldn’t help but grin at that while her free hand began tracing circles on Clarke’s stomach. Light, but not so light as to tickle. Just enough to feel entirely incidental.

Clarke’s only response was a happy little hum, not quite a sigh. _Perfect_.

She slowly worked her hand lower, palm flat against her, thumb sweeping back and forth as she went. To distract from her direction, and because she wanted to, she tilted her head to press a kiss to Clarke’s shoulder. Whether it worked or not, she had no idea, but she kept moving her hand until it reached the bottom edge of Clarke’s tank top.

Her fingertips slipped under, dragging it slightly upwards as she continued stroking with her thumb, _just_ letting their skin touch. Clarke twitched a little under the slightly ticklish sensation but otherwise kept her attention on the screen.

Lexa let her fingers graze along Clarke’s now exposed abdomen, tracing against the edge of the pajama shorts she’d thrown on when they decided to stay in. Resisting the urge to dip beneath the band, she slid her hand down a thigh, nails dragging as she brought her hand back up. Though not audible, she felt the slight hitch in Clarke’s breathing as she did so, and wondered if the game was up.

If it was, Clarke made no move to acknowledge it and Lexa wondered briefly if she was playing along. It didn’t matter, she’d stop if she was told to after all.

Her hand made its way back up to Clarke’s hip and her thumb swept down the bone, digging slightly under the waistband of her shorts, sliding sideways along it before pulling back. Clarke was slowly but surely relaxing further into her hold while she did so.

She slid her palm along her stomach again, brushing the edge of her pinky against the edge of her shorts before slipping it sideways underneath. She bit her lip at the realization that Clarke was not wearing underwear, which really shouldn’t surprise her at this point, but sometimes she was caught off guard.

Clarke nestled her cheek deeper into Lexa’s shoulder and wriggled her hand until she could lace their fingers together, giving Lexa’s a quick squeeze. Clearly at this point she’d caught on and was willing to see how Lexa wanted this to play out.

Lexa grinned to herself and finally, properly, slid her hand into Clarke’s shorts, letting her fingertips trail down her mound. She shifted her legs, which shifted Clarke’s, spreading them both wider and thus giving her more access to the wet heat awaiting her touch.

~*~

They must have fallen asleep, she realized, the TV still showing the let’s play series that had been vaguely agreed upon. Lexa’s hand was still down her pants, but there was a new addition to the pile on the couch.

“Babe,” Lexa mumbled by her ear. “Clarke… why is there a cat on you?”

Clarke cracked an eye open and sure enough there was a black and white cat curled up on her hip, watching the TV screen.

“His name is Bob,” she grumbled, reaching a hand out to scritch his head.

“That’s… That’s not what I asked.” She could _hear_ Lexa’s narrowed eyes.

“He followed me home from my classes like three times this week so I just… Let him in?” She flicked her gaze over to where Lexa was propped on her shoulder. “Look at this sweet face, how could I turn him away?” She emphasized this with a scritch under his chin, to which he started purring like an engine.

Lexa let out a slow, deflating style groan. “So we have a cat now?”

Clarke grinned and tilted her head to kiss her jaw. “We have a cat now!”

There was a long moment of silence during which time Clarke began petting his soft black head again, then, “Why _Bob_?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you might have heard about my struggles with this chapter. I had everything before the break done since like the day after the last chapter was posted, and could not figure out how to transition to what I WANTED because at some point my brain decided Clarke had to wake up on top of Lexa with a cat on her hip.
> 
> They did not HAVE a cat before my brain decided this.
> 
> His name and appearance are based on the stray that adopted my grandparents last summer. His attitude is based on my 17yr old tabby.


End file.
